RATTLERS

A lot of green -- and the poppies

Snakes are plentiful this year. Shirley Jean saw two rattlesnakes.

Ina Dobson, 1933

A sluggish rattlesnake

I did something that many – perhaps most – would approve. I killed a rattlesnake.

A doe at the Plank place

Mike had gone for an exercise ride on his mountain bike. I was working in my newly fenced garden while the dogs played nearby in the south field. We had seen a sluggish rattlesnake in the lane last night, and it crossed my mind that dogs playing in the field might not be a good idea. They gradually worked closer to the yard, and when they came to the weedy/grassy area between the yard and the field, I noticed Bess go into hunting mode and assumed she was after a rodent. Then I heard the tell-tale rattle. Taking my spade with me, I found my way out of the fence, calling both dogs as I went. Keeping the dogs behind me and following the sound of the still-agitated snake, I located it in the grass.

Bess practices a classic point

I cogitated for a while as to what course of action to take. Weighing all considerations, especially that Mike wasn’t available, I killed that snake with the little spade Daddy Dobson gave me all those 40 years ago.

And that was that.